The spacecraft was named ‘Mengzhou’.
Reminiscent of the ‘Chinese Dream’ emphasized by Xi Jinping
‘Moon race’ accelerates with the US, Japan and India
While the United States landed an unmanned probe on the moon for the first time in 52 years, China is accelerating its project to land a manned probe on the moon with the goal of 2030. However, some voices are concerned about military threats due to China’s ‘space rise’.
On the 24th, state-run China Central (CC) TV reported, “The name of the manned spacecraft to be sent to the moon has been confirmed as ‘Mengzhou (dream ship, photo).’” It inherits the names of the already commercialized manned spacecraft ‘Shenzhou’ and the cargo spacecraft ‘Tianzhou’, while also reminiscent of the ‘Chinese Dream’ that President Xi Jinping has been emphasizing since coming to power. It’s a name. It was selected from over 2,000 submitted works after review by experts.
The name of the probe (exploration robot) that will land on the moon and explore it with two astronauts on board was decided to be ‘Lan Yue’ (grabbing the moon) through the same method. It reflects the phrase “climb to the nine heavens and catch the moon” often mentioned by Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China. CCTV emphasized that Mengzhou and Lanyue “reflect the heroism and confidence of Chinese people exploring space.”
China has been investing heavily in the aerospace industry since the 2000s. In 2003, a lunar exploration plan named the ‘Chang’e Project’ was established, and 10 years later, in 2013, the unmanned probe ‘Chang’e 3’ was landed on the moon. It became the third country in the world to land on the moon, following Russia and the United States. In 2019, the world was surprised by the world’s first unmanned probe to land on the far side of the moon, which is not visible from Earth. The self-built space station ‘Tiangong’ was also completed at the end of 2022.
China also launched a rocket carrying a satellite from the southern province of Hainan on the 23rd. China claimed, “We will orbit the Earth and test high-speed satellite communication technology.” However, Space News, a U.S. space media outlet, described it as a “secret military satellite” and expressed concern that the military assets of the U.S. and its allies could be at risk.
Competition from other countries is also fierce. Intuitive Machines, an American private company, landed an unmanned probe on the moon on the 22nd. The U.S. government is carrying out the ‘Artemis’ project, which aims to land humans on the moon again in 2027. Last year, unmanned rovers from India and Japan each landed on the moon.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.